Mother or Monster?
by Macey-the-Magical
Summary: "She'll open her eyes tomorrow." Cinderpelt's words ring and echo in Brightheart's ears. This phrase would bring joy to most mothers, but it brings fear to her. She fears that her beloved daughter's first sight in the world will be one of a monster... R


_Heya everybody! =D Okay, I've had THIS idea for a while now, but I've never written it down and published it, but now I have! So, I've always wondered what Whitewing ever thought of Brightheart, herm other. Obviously she loved her and didn't think about her face, but what did Brightheart think Whitewing thought of her face when she was only little? Wow, that was long. Just read the oneshot, it's easier to understand. lol XD_

Brightheart felt small fingers of warmth creep through her pelt and blinked open her one green eye. Looking around, she saw spots of a milky golden color speckling the floor of the nursery. It was dawn.

Brightheart smiled and sat up, careful not to disturb her tiny daughter, who slept closely by her side. She looked down at her, her fur prickling with more warmth then any dawn could ever give. Whitekit, the little white she-kit, had only been born a few days ago. Cloudtail, Whitekit's father, had never been so happy, and neither had Brightheart.

As if on cue, a white head popped around the corner. It was Cloudtail.

"How are my two favorite she-cats in the world?" he queried. Brightheart purred and pressed the uninjured side of her face against his. When she had been a young apprentice, one half of her face had been savagely ripped away by a pack of dogs, but Cloudtail had never given up on her.

Cloudtail sat down beside her and gently nudged Whitekit on the head with his nose and she let out a small mumble. "And my little snowball's okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine." Brightheart leaned against his strong shoulder and stared at her kit, feeling her eyes aching with love.

"I'll get you some fresh-kill," Cloudtail offered, getting up. "You must be hungry."

She smiled. "A little. Thanks." He purred and padded out softly.

Brightheart shifted in her nest of moss and feathers, sighing contentedly. This happiness had set in the moment Whitekit was born, and it stuck in her chest until she thought she would burst with pride. But then her spirits dropped in a heartbeat as she remembered what Cindereplt had told her yesterday.

_"She'll open her eyes tomorrow."_

Brightheart swallowed, feeling panic and worry rise up in her throat, and trying to push it back down again. But she couldn't help but wonder how her precious child would react to her mother's appearance. She couldn't help but worry.

She had seen so many reactions to her face, and they were never good. And more, they had all been from fully-grown cats. What could she expect except worse from a newborn she-kit? Brightheart's throat tightened and she found it challenging to breathe deeply for fear.

"Brightheart?" She jumped as a new voice called her name softly. The ginger-patched queen relaxed as she recognized Cinderpelt, the Clan medicine cat hobbling in on her broken leg. Brightheart thought that Cinderpelt had always known better than anyone what she went through after the dog's attack. She, too, had been hurt as an apprentice, but on the Thunderpath. She never returned to her warrior training, but found a new life on the path of a medicine cat.

"Hi, Cinderpelt," Brightheart mewed, trying to sound normal, but her words caught in her mouth for just a second. Cinderpelt noticed.

"You're worried about your face, aren't you? About Whitekit too?" she inquired gently, but full of certainty. Brightheart looked away, knowing she had to answer.

"What..." Her voice faltered and she started again. "What if she's scared of me?"

She heard Cinderpelt sigh. "Brightheart, you're her mother. She'll never be afraid of you and you know it. You're just letting your fears get the best of you."

"Maybe so, but it could be true. You can't say that it's not a possibility."

Cinderpelt paused. "No, I can't say that. But it's unlikely."

"I know." Silence. After a long pause, Cinderpelt broke it.

"I'll get you some fresh borage. Be right back," she mewed quietly, and limped out of the nursery towards the medicine cat's den.

Brightheart sat in stillness. It _was_ unlikely, but that didn't mean it wouldn't happen. She sighed, lost in uncertainty.

A movement beside her and a tiny murmur distracted Brightheart from her thoughts. Her daughter was shifting in her bedding and scrunching up her face. Worry started to surge up inside her. Was something wrong?

Suddenly, two green eyes blinked themselves open, starting to focus, widening at all the strange things that stood around them. Brightheart crouched down to a bit above Whitekit's level. The she-kit was lifting her head and slowly twisting it around. Around and around it turned, until it finally reached Brightheart.

Brightheart looked at her kit, her heart throbbing with pride but also with anxiety. Whitekit wasn't flinching, or shrieking, or even doing anything similar to reacting to her mother's appearance. Just staring.

Just then, Whitekit let out a mew and stretched one small, delicate paw in her mother's direction. Brightheart picked her up ever so gently, setting the kit down beside her, and nuzzled her, her tail wrapped protectively about her. She was about ready to cry. She leaned her head down to Whitekit's and felt her daughter lick the injured side of her face with a little, rough tongue.

"Hey, sweetheart," she whispered. "Say hello to Mommy."

_*whimpers* !!!!!!! I love this! This had got to be one of the awesomest things I've ever written! I REALLY hoped that you Brightheart fans liked it! Please review! KTHANXBYE XD_


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